Dream
by Jenna211
Summary: They were even taller than he was, making him feel blissfully surrounded and warm and as if he was merely walking through a dream, or perhaps a beautiful painting.


_This is only a one-shot, and I don't own either of these characters~_

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><p>It was a day during late spring in China, the sky dressed in a faint blue and completely devoid of any clouds. The mountains in the distance were in clear view, as were the long stretches of land that seemed to go on infinitely. Yao stood by himself underneath a willow tree, whose low weeping branches just nearly reached the small pond in front of him. Serene and rather quiet aside from the gentle breeze that rustled the leaves and caused the water to slightly ripple, his golden eyes gazed down at his reflection in the pond, the dark colors of his skin, hair and clothing appearing to blend in with the colors of the sky, the trees and the bright yellow glow of the sun that hung above. The Chinese nation inhaled and let his eyes slip closed, feeling the heat of the sun on his back, listening to the various noises that surrounded him and basking in the peace that he was never able to experience when all the other nations were around.<p>

After a few moments he slowly opened his eyes once more, noticing a sudden change in the reflection, appearing as if there was something large behind him. Heart dropping in surprise, he spun around only to become face-to-face with.. a sunflower. Eyebrows furrowing, he looked further up to see a pair of amethyst eyes staring down at him from above the tall yellow petals.

"A-a-aiyah! W-when did you get here aru?" He restrained himself from taking a few steps back, remembering just in time that there was water behind him.

"Hmm?" Ivan mused, his habitual smile making it apparent just how oblivious he was to Yao's bewilderment. "Just a few moments ago, of course~ It's been a long while since I've visited you, so I thought I would make it up to you by visiting you again~! I followed you here in the first place, so it wasn't hard to find you."

Yao furrowed his eyebrows in irritation. Just when he thought he had a break from Russia's usual visits.. no, they weren't visits, they were sudden appearances inside his house or wherever else he happened to be which he certainly was not invited to.

"Yao looks upset," Ivan said while continuing to watch the shorter nation intently, tilting his head to one side. He lowered the sunflower he was securely holding and shoved his arms forward, offering – more like forcing Yao – to take it. "Here, this will make it all better~"

Yao cautiously moved his head to peer behind Ivan, checking to make sure that they really were the only ones there before hesitantly taking the sunflower into his own hands. Idly brushing his fingers up the length of its stem and gently across the petals, he again glanced back up to Ivan with a sigh. It was difficult to stay frustrated with someone like him, especially when taking the fact that he most likely wouldn't be able to keep Ivan from randomly appearing anyway into consideration. In a way he was beginning to grow used to it, but that didn't mean he wasn't frightened each time. At least his food wasn't being eaten without permission this time.

"..Xièxiè," he muttered lowly, clearing his throat and giving the man another apprehensive glance before finally stepping aside. Perhaps it wasn't.. _so bad_ that he decided to come. After all, it had been a while since the last time. And there was something the Chinese man had been meaning to do. "It wouldn't hurt to warn me once in a while before you do that aru," he said quietly, almost to himself. But whether it was or not, that made no difference to the Russian nation, smile broadening as he again stepped closer. Personal space did not exist, as far as he knew.

"But if you knew then it wouldn't be a surprise, and that wouldn't be as fun, da?"

Yao puffed his cheeks out slightly. How could someone stay so happy all the time? And so casual and blunt about everything. No matter how many hundred years the two have known each other, it was still something the older nation would always marvel over. He cast a short glance over his own shoulder in the direction of the vast fields and hills that were beyond them, looking back forward and biting his lower lip as he swiftly took hold of Ivan's hand.

"I want to show you something aru," he spoke, turning around and leading the larger man toward the direction his eyes had just wandered off to, sunflower still being held in his free hand.

The blond curiously lifted an eyebrow, eagerly following along nonetheless. "Does Yao have a surprise for me now~?" he said in a soft but cheery voice.

Yao felt warmth growing on his cheeks for some reason he wasn't sure of, though he was relieved that he was facing away and therefore it wasn't noticeable. He uttered the words "yes, sure" under his breath in reply and then remained quiet afterward.

That was enough of an answer to please Ivan all the more, giving the other nation's hand a squeeze. And rather than looking at the various scenery that they were passing by, he took advantage of the moment to watch Yao in admiration – how short he was and how small, slender and feminine his figure was. The long length of his dark hair and how the loose strands flowed freely in the breeze, the softness of his skin – almost involuntarily Ivan tightened the grip he now had on Yao's smaller hand, although his thoughts abruptly stopped as the other nation began slowing down. He reluctantly pulled his gaze from Yao and instead looked ahead of them; there was a glimpse of yellow appearing from over the brim of the small hill they were on that increased more and more as they moved in. Spots of brown appeared in pattern upon the lush green below, revealing itself to be a field of sunflowers. The tall stalks swayed softly where they stood.

The Chinese took a breath and went to remove his hand from the Russian's, but the other man's secure grasp hadn't yet let go. Yao peered up at the tall nation, blinking in surprise upon noticing how wide Ivan's eyes were. They were pooling with tears as he gazed rather dreamily at the field ahead of him, the reflection of the flowers just nearly visible in their purple hue.

"E-eh? Is something wrong aru?" Yao blurted, noticing that Ivan looked just about ready to start crying – but his smile was still there. He was panicking on the inside, unable to figure out how Ivan was reacting.

Ivan only breathed Yao's name before pulling his hand from the other's and beginning to descend down the hill. He held his arms out at his sides and let his fingertips brush across the stems and petals of the sunflowers as he meandered through them. They were even taller than he was, making him feel blissfully surrounded and warm and as if he was merely walking through a dream, or perhaps a beautiful painting. He felt at home despite this not even being his own country, getting so carried away in his thoughts that he was no longer paying attention to where his legs were taking him, but beaming all the while.

Yao quickly tread after him, already barely able to keep up with the pace and direction of the other man. The flowers appeared to engulf Ivan as he advanced forward and suddenly he was out of sight. "I didn't bring here so you could run away from me aru!" Yao huffed, trying to see a glimpse of the large nation but all he got in return was the faint, distant sound of laughter. It was like chasing a young child around all over again.

'_I am much too old for this_', he thought to himself. Then again, he was relieved to realize that he had made Ivan happy after all and the very thought of it was endearing to him, but he didn't want them to be so suddenly separated.

Now met with silence, Yao slowed his own pace and cautiously glanced around. He had a feeling he was more than likely going to be startled again. Of course.. That was just the sort of thing the Russian would do.

A pouting, irritated expression settled on his face as he continued to advance further, spreading the tall stalks apart with his hands as he went, just when he felt something bar his path. His slipper-clad foot bumped into something and he immediately tripped over it, trying to grab onto the sunflowers for protection during his fall but to no avail.

He, luckily, landed half on the soft grassy ground and half on the even softer object that brought him down in the first place. With a small huff he glanced over to notice Ivan was lying relaxed and flat on his back, pulling his gaze from the sky to peer down at Yao with his calm, pleased eyes as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Yao scrambled to move himself off of the other's body but was stopped by a large hand unexpectedly resting on his hip and pulling his small frame even closer. His head was now forced under Ivan's chin and resting on his chest, bodies held together by a firm arm wrapped around Yao's waist. The flustered nation knew better than to struggle to get free knowing that his effort wouldn't get him anywhere.

"Why are you on the ground aru?" he mumbled instead, managing to lift his head.

Ivan looked down again and, rather than answering the question, pressed a kiss to Yao's forehead. "We will stay here forever, da," he said quietly as if he didn't expect any objections, letting his eyes close and freeing Yao from his grasp.

He hesitantly lifted himself up before moving to lie on the ground next to the other, pursing his lips as he watched him for a moment. After a moment he gently rested his head down against Ivan's, either pair of eyes gazing up past the towering flowers that seemed to be enclosing around the two.

Yao let out a quiet exhale as the Russian nation was the one to take hold of his hand this time, fingers securely wrapping around the much smaller ones.

His thoughts were of course less optimistic than Ivan's and he couldn't quite imagine himself staying here in the field forever, but at the moment, it almost felt plausible. His body had again found the peace from earlier, driving away any excess thoughts and focusing only on the warm feeling from their entwined fingers and from the sun beating down through any openings that the flowers allowed.

It was almost as if they were sharing the same dream, just the two of them. Perhaps they really could stay as long as they wanted to, together and free from the stress of anyone else. Maybe..


End file.
